Montana wolf hunt begins; activists shadow hunters
Posted: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 12:00 am
Associated Press | 0 comments
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) � Montana�s six-month general hunting season for gray wolves began Monday as activists sought to highlight the killing of wolves that leave Yellowstone National Park.
It�s the fourth annual hunt since Congress revoked endangered species protections in 2011 for the animals, and the fifth since 2009, when gray wolves briefly lost their protected status before it was temporarily restored by a federal judge. There was no hunt in 2010.
Yet the hunt continues to stir debate. For this year�s opening, a small group of activists said they were shadowing two groups of backcountry hunting outfitters in a wilderness area next to Yellowstone.
Rod Coronado with the recently formed Yellowstone Wolf Patrol said he and eight other volunteers planned to use a video camera to document the killing of any wolves. Coronado said they would not directly interfere with hunting, which would be illegal.
�We�re hoping our presence here and taking video of it and photographing evidence can persuade Montana citizens to ask their governor to shut down the hunt outside the park,� Coronado said.
In 1995, a federal judge sentenced Coronado to more than four years in prison for his role in an arson attack on an animal research facility in Michigan. He said Monday that he no longer considers illegal actions effective and has no intention of breaking any Montana laws.
Montana law prohibits harassment of hunters, punishable by a fine of up to $500 and 30 days in prison. But tracking hunters and their activities is not illegal as long as nothing is done to disrupt the hunt itself, said Sam Sheppard, a warden captain with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Hunting is not allowed inside Yellowstone. Just north of the park, two Montana hunting units are subject to a combined six-wolf quota. That limit on the number of wolves that can be taken annually was put in place after park scientists raised concerns in recent years that too many animals were being killed as soon as they passed over the park boundary and into Montana.
Areas outside Glacier National Park also have a quota.
There is no limit on how many wolves can be killed statewide, and 230 were harvested during the 2013-14 season.
As of Monday, only one wolf had been taken this season, during an early season archery hunt. Wolf trapping season begins in December.
Coronado said he and his fellow activists plan to remain in the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness area outside Yellowstone for about 10 days or until their food runs out.
He said similar actions are planned this fall to protest hunts in Wisconsin, where opening day is Oct. 15, and possibly Idaho, where the season is already underway.
� 2014 The Associated Press.
Ben
Some days it takes most of the day for me to do practically nothing...
So logistically, how do you "follow along" on these wolf hunts????
Guide wakes up at 5am, builds fire in stove, starts coffee and breakfast for his hunters. All preparations made and hunting party slips out in the pre-dawn darkness.
Meanwhile, in the tent pitched 40' away, the greenies are busy firing up the generator to charge the camera batteries for the days filming. The sentry keeps an eye on the hunters tent until the party emerges for the days hunt, then they all bugaboo out hot on the hunters track.
WTH?
_______________________________________________________ An 8 dollar driveway boy living in a T-111 shack
I would think that MT has hunter harassment laws. Enforce them.
Originally Posted by Mannlicher
America needs to understand that our troops are not 'disposable'. Each represents a family; Fathers, Mothers, Sons, Daughters, Cousins, Uncles, Aunts... Our Citizens are our most valuable treasure; we waste far too many.
Man, I wish they would have been following me. I would have paid good money to have my wolf kill on video so I could share it with you guys! P.S. I bet if I would have showed a little remorse after the kill, those knuckle heads would have helped me carry it back to the truck for a "proper burial".
"The difference between adventure and disaster is preparation" "Dangerous Game Hunting........because golf, football and baseball only require one ball"
Vacuum an unborn child from the womb = freedom of choice! but shooting a wild dog... That's just crossing the line!
The world is messed up...
Yeah, I love how some idiots fail to connect such dots. When emotion overrides reason the results are never pretty.
Psuedo-Random Number Generator: 6.8 .338 .375 .45 Psuedo-Random Truck Generator: V8 Toyota w/ Overland Warehouse - Torsen - BFGoodrich Go out and get it.
